How to set up Quality Profiles

aka How to set up Custom Formats

So what's the best way to set up the Custom Formats and which ones to use with which scores to set up your quality profiles?

There isn't a "best" setup, it depends on your media setup (hardware devices) and your personal preferences.

Some prefer high-quality audio (HD Audio), others high-quality video. Many prefer both.

Here I will try to explain how to make the most use of Custom Formats to help you to set up your quality profiles for your personal needs.

I created a flowchart to make your decision/choices easier.

Basics

After you've added the Custom Formats, as explained in How to import Custom Formats. You will need to set it up in the quality Profile you want to use/prefer to make use of the Custom Formats.

Settings => Profiles

Sonarr Custom Formats can be set per profile and isn't global

Select the profile that you want to use/prefer.

Profile name.
Allow upgrades. Sonarr will stop upgrading quality once (3) is met.
Upgrade until the selected quality.
The Minimum Custom Format Score that is allowed to download. More Info
Keep upgrading Custom Format until this score is reached. (setting this to 0 means no upgrades will happen based on Custom Formats)

At the bottom, in your chosen profile, you will see the added Custom Formats where you can start setting up the scores.

Screenshot example - [Click to show/hide]

Warning

These screenshots are just examples to show you how it should look and where you need to place the data that you need to add, they aren't always a 100% reflection of the actual data and not always 100% up to date with the actual data you need to add.

Always follow the data described in the guide.
If you have any questions or aren't sure just click the chat badge to join the Discord Channel where you can ask your questions directly.

Keep in mind Custom Formats are made to fine-tune your Quality Profile.
Generally, quality trumps all

Custom formats are controlled by Quality Profiles.

The Upgrade Until score prevents upgrading once a release with this desired score has been downloaded.
A score of 0 results in the custom format being informational only.
The Minimum score requires releases to reach this threshold otherwise they will be rejected.
Custom formats that match with undesirable attributes should be given a negative score to lower their appeal.
Outright rejections should be given a negative score low enough that even if all of the other formats with positive scores were added, the score would still fall below the minimum.

Sonarr v4 current logic

Sonarr v4 current logic - [Click to show/hide]

As of v4 release the logic is as follows:

The Current logic on how downloads are compared is Quality Trumps All

Quality
Custom Formats
Protocol
Episode Count
Episode Number
Indexer Priority
Seeds/Peers (If Torrent)
Age (If Usenet)
Size

Source: Wiki Servarr

REPACKS and PROPERs are v2 of Qualities and thus rank above a non-repack of the same quality.

Settings => Media Management => File Management => Proper & Repacks Change to Do Not Prefer and use the Repack/Proper Custom Format

Which Quality Profile should you choose

Which Quality Profile should you choose - [Click to show/hide]

If you're unsure or have questions do not hesitate to ask for help on Discord

TRaSH Quality Profiles

The following Quality Profiles can be combined into a single Quality Profile if you, for example, want to be able to upgrade from 1080p to 4K/2160p.

WEB-1080p

If you prefer 720p/1080p WEBDL (WEB-1080p)

I suggest to follow the following Guides first.

For this Quality Profile we're going to make use of the following Custom Formats with the scores given in the table.

Attention

All the used scores and combination of Custom Formats in this Guide are tested to get the desired results and prevent download loops as much as possible.

From experience most of the time when people change scores or leave out certain CF that work together they end up with undesired results.

If you're unsure or have questions do not hesitate to ask for help on Discord

Unwanted - [Click to show/hide]

Custom Format	Score	Trash ID
BR-DISK	-10000	85c61753df5da1fb2aab6f2a47426b09
LQ	-10000	9c11cd3f07101cdba90a2d81cf0e56b4
LQ (Release Title)	-10000	e2315f990da2e2cbfc9fa5b7a6fcfe48
x265 (HD)	-10000	47435ece6b99a0b477caf360e79ba0bb
Extras	-10000	fbcb31d8dabd2a319072b84fc0b7249c

Breakdown and Why

BR-DISK : This is a custom format to help Sonarr recognize & ignore BR-DISK (ISO's and Blu-ray folder structure) in addition to the standard BR-DISK quality.
LQ: A collection of known Low Quality groups that are often banned from the the top trackers because the lack of quality or other reasons.
LQ (Release Title): A collection of terms seen in the titles of Low Quality releases that are not captured by using a release group name.
x265 (HD): This blocks 720/1080p (HD) releases that are encoded in x265. - More info HERE.

Don't use this together with x265 (no HDR/DV), Only ever include one of them
Extras: This blocks/ignores extras

Optional - [Click to show/hide]

Custom Format	Score	Trash ID
Bad Dual Groups	-10000	32b367365729d530ca1c124a0b180c64
No-RlsGroup	-10000	82d40da2bc6923f41e14394075dd4b03
Obfuscated	-10000	e1a997ddb54e3ecbfe06341ad323c458
Retags	-10000	06d66ab109d4d2eddb2794d21526d140
Scene	-10000	1b3994c551cbb92a2c781af061f4ab44
x265 (no HDR/DV)	-10000	9b64dff695c2115facf1b6ea59c9bd07

Breakdown and Why

Bad Dual Groups: [Optional] These groups take the original release and add their own language track (e.g. AAC 2.0 Portuguese) as the first track. Afterward, FFprobe would determine that the media file is Portuguese. It's a common rule that you only add the best audio as the main track. Also they often even rename the release name into Portuguese.
No-RlsGroup: [Optional] Some indexers strip out the release group which could result in LQ groups being scored incorrectly. For example, a lot of EVO releases end up with a stripped group name. These releases would appear as "upgrades" and could end up getting a decent score after other CFs are scored.
Obfuscated: [Optional] Use these only if you wish to avoid renamed releases.
Retags: [Optional] Use this if you wish to avoid retagged releases. Retagged releases often are not consistent with the quality of the original group's release (e.g. TGx downsampling an NTb release from 5.1 audio to 2.0 audio, yet maintaining the NTb naming).
Scene: [Optional] Use this only if you want to avoid SCENE releases.
x265 (no HDR/DV): This blocks 720/1080p (HD) releases that are encoded in x265. - More info HERE.

This will allow x265 releases if they have HDR and/or DV

Being that some NF releases won't be released as 4k, but you want to have DV/HDR releases.

In your quality profile use the following score for this Custom Format: -10000

Don't use this combined with x265 (HD), Only ever apply one of them.

Misc - [Click to show/hide]

Custom Format	Score	Trash ID
Repack/Proper	5	ec8fa7296b64e8cd390a1600981f3923
Repack v2	6	eb3d5cc0a2be0db205fb823640db6a3c
Repack v3	7	44e7c4de10ae50265753082e5dc76047

Proper and Repacks - [Click to show/hide]

I also suggest to change the Propers and Repacks settings in Sonarr

Media Management => File Management to Do Not Prefer and use the Repack/Proper Custom Format.

This way you make sure the Custom Formats preferences will be used and not ignored.

Streaming Services - [Click to show/hide]

Custom Format	Score	Trash ID
4OD	50	bbcaf03147de0f73be2be4a9078dfa03
ALL4	50	fcc09418f67ccaddcf3b641a22c5cfd7
AMZN	70	d660701077794679fd59e8bdf4ce3a29
ATVP	100	f67c9ca88f463a48346062e8ad07713f
CC	50	77a7b25585c18af08f60b1547bb9b4fb
CRAV	50	4e9a630db98d5391aec1368a0256e2fe
DCU	50	36b72f59f4ea20aad9316f475f2d9fbb
DSNP	100	89358767a60cc28783cdc3d0be9388a4
FOD	50	7be9c0572d8cd4f81785dacf7e85985e
HBO	50	7a235133c87f7da4c8cccceca7e3c7a6
HMAX	80	a880d6abc21e7c16884f3ae393f84179
HULU	50	f6cce30f1733d5c8194222a7507909bb
IP	50	dc503e2425126fa1d0a9ad6168c83b3f
iT	50	0ac24a2a68a9700bcb7eeca8e5cd644c
MAX	90	81d1fbf600e2540cee87f3a23f9d3c1c
NF	60	d34870697c9db575f17700212167be23
NLZ	50	b2b980877494b560443631eb1f473867
OViD	50	fb1a91cdc0f26f7ca0696e0e95274645
PCOK	60	1656adc6d7bb2c8cca6acfb6592db421
PMTP	60	c67a75ae4a1715f2bb4d492755ba4195
QIBI	80	3ac5d84fce98bab1b531393e9c82f467
RED	50	c30d2958827d1867c73318a5a2957eb1
SHO	50	ae58039e1319178e6be73caab5c42166
STAN	60	1efe8da11bfd74fbbcd4d8117ddb9213
TVer	50	d100ea972d1af2150b65b1cffb80f6b5
U-NEXT	50	0e99e7cc719a8a73b2668c3a0c3fe10c
VDL	50	5d2317d99af813b6529c7ebf01c83533

HQ Source Groups - [Click to show/hide]

Custom Format	Score	Trash ID
WEB Tier 01	1700	e6258996055b9fbab7e9cb2f75819294
WEB Tier 02	1650	58790d4e2fdcd9733aa7ae68ba2bb503
WEB Tier 03	1600	d84935abd3f8556dcd51d4f27e22d0a6
WEB Scene	1600	d0c516558625b04b363fa6c5c2c7cfd4

Info

= The reason why this Custom Format gets positively scored is because it's the only quality scene group that exists (up until now). Scene groups don't add a streaming service to their release names, so the score is adjusted to take this into account.

I decided not to add Audio Advanced Custom Formats to the WEB profile, You will hardly find HD audio with WEB-DL (most newer WEBDL will have Atmos). If you want HD audio formats, I would suggest going with Remuxes.

Use the following main settings in your profile.

For some older shows, you might want to enable the WEB 720p, or even the HDTV 1080p.

Info

The order listed in the profile matters even if a quality is not checked, for example if you have a 1080p version but wanted the SD version, Radarr will reject all SD results because 1080p is listed higher than SD even though 1080p was not checked.

Qualities at the top of the list will appear first in manual searches.

Qualities higher in the list are more preferred even if not checked.
Qualities within the same group are equal.
Only checked qualities are wanted.

This is why it's recommended to move the selected quality to the top of the list.

Source: Wiki Servarr

Workflow Logic - [Click to show/hide]

It will download WEB-DL 1080p. (If you also enabled WEB 720p and/or HDTV 1080p it will upgrade until Upgrade Until)
The downloaded media will be upgraded to any of the added Custom Formats until a score of 10000.

So why such a ridiculously high Upgrade Until Custom and not a score of 100?

Because I'm too lazy to calculate the maximum for every Quality Profile I use, and I want it to upgrade to the highest possible score anyway.

WEB-2160p

If you prefer 2160p WEBDL (WEB-2160p)

The only deal breaker with 2160p is when the release includes DV/HDR. 2160p without DV/HDR is of minimal benefit.

I suggest to follow the following Guides first.

For this Quality Profile we're going to make use of the following Custom Formats with the scores given in the table.

Attention

All the used scores and combination of Custom Formats in this Guide are tested to get the desired results and prevent download loops as much as possible.

From experience most of the time when people change scores or leave out certain CF that work together they end up with undesired results.

If you're unsure or have questions do not hesitate to ask for help on Discord

All HDR Formats - [Click to show/hide]

Why would I choose All HDR formats ?

You have a 4K/2160p TV and a hardware media player device (such as Roku, AppleTV, Shield, SmartTV App, etc.) that supports several HDR formats (such as Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, etc.).

Plex for Apple TV and Plex with Infuse is only capable of playing Dolby Vision profiles 5 and 8 correctly if CMv2.9 is being used.
This is something that cannot be determined beforehand.
So whether you are using an Apple TV, with or without Infuse, it will always be hit or miss whether the content is compatible.
Additionally, it is uncertain whether the Dolby Vision layer will play, fall back to HDR10, or encounter a black screen.
You've chosen a profile that includes 4K/2160p releases. You must use all the HDR formats with 4k/2160p profiles.
You must add ALL the HDR formats - don't leave any of them out!

Why am I getting purple or green colors? - [Click to show/hide]

Why am I getting purple or green colors?

There are several possible reasons why your TV would show purple or green colors when playing Dolby Vision content.

Unsupported Hardware: Your TV or hardware media player device (Roku, AppleTV, etc) doesn't support Dolby Vision or your hardware media player device doesn't support all the Dolby Vision Profiles. As a result, the device might struggle to produce accurate colors, leading to a purple or green tint.
Incorrect Display Settings: Dolby Vision content often requires specific settings to be enabled on your TV or display device in order to deliver the intended visual experience. If these settings are not configured properly, it can result in the device showing distorted colors (including purple or green hues).
HDMI Compatibility Issues: Sometimes, HDMI cables or ports may not be fully compatible with Dolby Vision. If the media player device is not recognizing the Dolby Vision signal properly, it may fail to process the content correctly, resulting in abnormal color rendering.

To resolve the purple or green color issues when playing Dolby Vision content, you can try the following troubleshooting steps:

Ensure your TV or hardware media player device is Dolby Vision compatible and up-to-date with the latest firmware.
Verify that your TV or display device is set up correctly and has the necessary Dolby Vision settings enabled.
Check the HDMI cables and ensure they are capable of transmitting Dolby Vision signals.

Dolby Vision Profiles - [Click to show/hide]

Dolby Vision Profiles

Profile 5 ⁽¹⁾ - This is what comes with WEB-DL Dolby Vision releases without HDR10 fallback.
(Incompatible devices will playback with blown out pinks and greens)
Profile 7 ⁽²⁾ - This is what comes with UHD Bluray Remuxes and UHD BluRay releases.
These files will play on an Nvidia Shield Pro (2019), but on most other players will revert to the HDR10 fallback.
Profile 8 ⁽³⁾ - This is what comes with (Hybrid) WEB-DL (HULU), Hybrid UHD Remux, and UHD BluRay releases (all of which have HDR10 fallback).
This works with several mainstream media players.

Plex for Apple TV and Plex with Infuse is only capable of playing Dolby Vision profiles 5 and 8 correctly if CMv2.9 is being used.
This is something that cannot be determined beforehand.
So whether you are using an Apple TV, with or without Infuse, it will always be hit or miss whether the content is compatible.
Additionally, it is uncertain whether the Dolby Vision layer will play, fall back to HDR10, or encounter a black screen.

^{(1) PLEX for AppleTV and Plex with Infuse will only play profile 5 correctly if CMv2.9 is used}
^{(2) Neither Infuse nor PLEX for AppleTV will deliver real Dolby Vision with Profile 7.}
^{(3) On PLEX for AppleTV it won't deliver real Dolby Vision with Profile 8, and will only play the HDR10 fallback if CM2.9 is used, otherwise you will end up with a black screen
“although your TV will incorrectly say that it is playing DV”.
With infuse it will convert it on the fly to Profile 5, and deliver real Dolby Vision if CMv2.9 is used, otherwise you will end up with a black screen
“Make sure you set the Extended Dolby Vision settings to Limited (prefer accuracy), Convert P8 to P5 (when possible), and play other P8 as HDR (output will switch to either DoVi or HDR depending on the video)”}

Dolby Vision Versions - CMv2.9 and CMv4.0 - [Click to show/hide]

It is too technical to explain in detail, so I'll keep it short with tested facts:
PLEX for AppleTV and Plex with Infuse only support CMv2.9.

There are two versions of Dolby Vision, namely CMv2.9 and CMv4.0. CMv4.0 uses an improved algorithm and a superior tone curve that allows for better mapping and more controls during the Dolby Vision trim pass process.

More info about the different Dolby Vision Versions: Dolby Vision Versions - CMv2.9 vs. CMv4.0

Which HDR Format should I choose? - [Click to show/hide]

Custom Format	Score	Trash ID
DV HDR10+	1500	2b239ed870daba8126a53bd5dc8dc1c8
DV HDR10	1500	7878c33f1963fefb3d6c8657d46c2f0a
DV	1500	6d0d8de7b57e35518ac0308b0ddf404e
DV HLG	1500	1f733af03141f068a540eec352589a89
DV SDR	1500	27954b0a80aab882522a88a4d9eae1cd
HDR10+	600	a3d82cbef5039f8d295478d28a887159
HDR10	500	3497799d29a085e2ac2df9d468413c94
HDR	500	3e2c4e748b64a1a1118e0ea3f4cf6875
HDR (undefined)	500	bb019e1cd00f304f80971c965de064dc
PQ	500	2a7e3be05d3861d6df7171ec74cad727
HLG	500	17e889ce13117940092308f48b48b45b

Add Custom Format DV (WEBDL) with a score of -10000 - [Click to show/hide]

Why would I add this Custom Format?

Not all devices in your chain support Dolby Vision.
You share your media library with other family members that don't have Dolby Vision compatible devices.
According the flowchart I should add this Custom Format

Custom Format	Score	Trash ID
DV (WEBDL)	-10000	9b27ab6498ec0f31a3353992e19434ca

Add Custom Format HDR10+ Boost with a score of 901- [Click to show/hide]

Why would I add this Custom Format?

You have a (Samsung) TV that supports HDR10+.
According the flowchart I should add this Custom Format

If you use this Custom Format then 99% of the time you also need to add the following Custom Format DV (WEBDL) with a score of -10000

Custom Format	Score	Trash ID
HDR10+ Boost	901	0dad0a507451acddd754fe6dc3a7f5e7

Unwanted - [Click to show/hide]

Custom Format	Score	Trash ID
BR-DISK	-10000	85c61753df5da1fb2aab6f2a47426b09
LQ	-10000	9c11cd3f07101cdba90a2d81cf0e56b4
LQ (Release Title)	-10000	e2315f990da2e2cbfc9fa5b7a6fcfe48
x265 (HD)	-10000	47435ece6b99a0b477caf360e79ba0bb
Extras	-10000	fbcb31d8dabd2a319072b84fc0b7249c

Breakdown and Why

BR-DISK : This is a custom format to help Sonarr recognize & ignore BR-DISK (ISO's and Blu-ray folder structure) in addition to the standard BR-DISK quality.
LQ: A collection of known Low Quality groups that are often banned from the the top trackers because the lack of quality or other reasons.
LQ (Release Title): A collection of terms seen in the titles of Low Quality releases that are not captured by using a release group name.
x265 (HD): This blocks 720/1080p (HD) releases that are encoded in x265. - More info HERE.

Don't use this together with x265 (no HDR/DV), Only ever include one of them
Extras: This blocks/ignores extras

Optional - [Click to show/hide]

Custom Format	Score	Trash ID
Bad Dual Groups	-10000	32b367365729d530ca1c124a0b180c64
No-RlsGroup	-10000	82d40da2bc6923f41e14394075dd4b03
Obfuscated	-10000	e1a997ddb54e3ecbfe06341ad323c458
Retags	-10000	06d66ab109d4d2eddb2794d21526d140
Scene	-10000	1b3994c551cbb92a2c781af061f4ab44
x265 (no HDR/DV)	-10000	9b64dff695c2115facf1b6ea59c9bd07

Breakdown and Why

Bad Dual Groups: [Optional] These groups take the original release and add their own language track (e.g. AAC 2.0 Portuguese) as the first track. Afterward, FFprobe would determine that the media file is Portuguese. It's a common rule that you only add the best audio as the main track. Also they often even rename the release name into Portuguese.
No-RlsGroup: [Optional] Some indexers strip out the release group which could result in LQ groups being scored incorrectly. For example, a lot of EVO releases end up with a stripped group name. These releases would appear as "upgrades" and could end up getting a decent score after other CFs are scored.
Obfuscated: [Optional] Use these only if you wish to avoid renamed releases.
Retags: [Optional] Use this if you wish to avoid retagged releases. Retagged releases often are not consistent with the quality of the original group's release (e.g. TGx downsampling an NTb release from 5.1 audio to 2.0 audio, yet maintaining the NTb naming).
Scene: [Optional] Use this only if you want to avoid SCENE releases.
x265 (no HDR/DV): This blocks 720/1080p (HD) releases that are encoded in x265. - More info HERE.

This will allow x265 releases if they have HDR and/or DV

Being that some NF releases won't be released as 4k, but you want to have DV/HDR releases.

In your quality profile use the following score for this Custom Format: -10000

Don't use this combined with x265 (HD), Only ever apply one of them.

Optional (UHD) - [Click to show/hide]

Custom Format	Score	Trash ID
SDR	-10000	2016d1676f5ee13a5b7257ff86ac9a93

Breakdown and Why

SDR: This will prevent the grabbing of UHD/4K releases that do not contain HDR.

Misc - [Click to show/hide]

Custom Format	Score	Trash ID
Repack/Proper	5	ec8fa7296b64e8cd390a1600981f3923
Repack v2	6	eb3d5cc0a2be0db205fb823640db6a3c
Repack v3	7	44e7c4de10ae50265753082e5dc76047

Proper and Repacks - [Click to show/hide]

I also suggest to change the Propers and Repacks settings in Sonarr

Media Management => File Management to Do Not Prefer and use the Repack/Proper Custom Format.

This way you make sure the Custom Formats preferences will be used and not ignored.

Streaming Services (UHD) - [Click to show/hide]

Custom Format	Score	Trash ID
ATVP	100	f67c9ca88f463a48346062e8ad07713f
DSNP	100	89358767a60cc28783cdc3d0be9388a4
MAX	90	81d1fbf600e2540cee87f3a23f9d3c1c
HMAX	80	a880d6abc21e7c16884f3ae393f84179
QIBI	80	3ac5d84fce98bab1b531393e9c82f467
AMZN	70	d660701077794679fd59e8bdf4ce3a29
NF	60	d34870697c9db575f17700212167be23
PCOK	60	1656adc6d7bb2c8cca6acfb6592db421
PMTP	60	c67a75ae4a1715f2bb4d492755ba4195
STAN	60	1efe8da11bfd74fbbcd4d8117ddb9213
CC	50	77a7b25585c18af08f60b1547bb9b4fb
CRAV	50	4e9a630db98d5391aec1368a0256e2fe
DCU	50	36b72f59f4ea20aad9316f475f2d9fbb
HBO	50	7a235133c87f7da4c8cccceca7e3c7a6
HULU	50	f6cce30f1733d5c8194222a7507909bb
IP	50	dc503e2425126fa1d0a9ad6168c83b3f
iT	50	0ac24a2a68a9700bcb7eeca8e5cd644c
NLZ	50	b2b980877494b560443631eb1f473867
RED	50	c30d2958827d1867c73318a5a2957eb1
SHO	50	ae58039e1319178e6be73caab5c42166
VDL	50	5d2317d99af813b6529c7ebf01c83533
OViD	50	fb1a91cdc0f26f7ca0696e0e95274645
FOD	50	7be9c0572d8cd4f81785dacf7e85985e
TVer	50	d100ea972d1af2150b65b1cffb80f6b5
U-NEXT	50	0e99e7cc719a8a73b2668c3a0c3fe10c
ALL4	50	fcc09418f67ccaddcf3b641a22c5cfd7
4OD	50	bbcaf03147de0f73be2be4a9078dfa03
UHD Streaming Boost	20	43b3cf48cb385cd3eac608ee6bca7f09
UHD Streaming Cut	-20	d2d299244a92b8a52d4921ce3897a256

UHD Streaming Boost and UHD Streaming Cut Custom Formats

Some streaming services have UHD releases that are generally better or worse than their HD counterparts. The UHD Streaming Boost and UHD Streaming Cut custom formats adjust those streaming services' scores appropriately for UHD releases.

These two custom formats must be included in your profile for UHD releases to be scored correctly.

HQ Source Groups - [Click to show/hide]

Custom Format	Score	Trash ID
WEB Tier 01	1700	e6258996055b9fbab7e9cb2f75819294
WEB Tier 02	1650	58790d4e2fdcd9733aa7ae68ba2bb503
WEB Tier 03	1600	d84935abd3f8556dcd51d4f27e22d0a6
WEB Scene	1600	d0c516558625b04b363fa6c5c2c7cfd4

Info

= The reason why this Custom Format gets positively scored is because it's the only quality scene group that exists (up until now). Scene groups don't add a streaming service to their release names, so the score is adjusted to take this into account.

I decided not to add Audio Advanced Custom Formats to the WEB profile. You will hardly find HD audio with WEB-DL (Most newer WEBDL will have Atmos). If you also want HD audio formats, I would suggest going for Remuxes.

Use the following main settings in your profile.

Info

The order listed in the profile matters even if a quality is not checked, for example if you have a 1080p version but wanted the SD version, Radarr will reject all SD results because 1080p is listed higher than SD even though 1080p was not checked.

Qualities at the top of the list will appear first in manual searches.

Qualities higher in the list are more preferred even if not checked.
Qualities within the same group are equal.
Only checked qualities are wanted.

This is why it's recommended to move the selected quality to the top of the list.

Source: Wiki Servarr

Workflow Logic - [Click to show/hide]

This will download WEB-2160p with HDR/DV.
The downloaded media will be upgraded to any of the added Custom Formats until a score of 10000.

So why such a ridiculously high Upgrade Until Custom and not a score of 100?

Because I'm too lazy to calculate the maximum for every Quality Profile I use, and I want it to upgrade to the highest possible score anyway.

Custom Format Groups

The following custom format groups should be combined with the Quality Profiles above. Users will need to choose which options and custom formats they prefer.

HDR Formats

You have a 4K TV and a hardware media player device (such as Roku, AppleTV, Shield, SmartTV App, etc.) that supports several HDR formats (such as Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, etc.).

All HDR Formats - [Click to show/hide]

Why would I choose All HDR formats ?

You have a 4K/2160p TV and a hardware media player device (such as Roku, AppleTV, Shield, SmartTV App, etc.) that supports several HDR formats (such as Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, etc.).

Plex for Apple TV and Plex with Infuse is only capable of playing Dolby Vision profiles 5 and 8 correctly if CMv2.9 is being used.
This is something that cannot be determined beforehand.
So whether you are using an Apple TV, with or without Infuse, it will always be hit or miss whether the content is compatible.
Additionally, it is uncertain whether the Dolby Vision layer will play, fall back to HDR10, or encounter a black screen.
You've chosen a profile that includes 4K/2160p releases. You must use all the HDR formats with 4k/2160p profiles.
You must add ALL the HDR formats - don't leave any of them out!

Why am I getting purple or green colors? - [Click to show/hide]

Why am I getting purple or green colors?

There are several possible reasons why your TV would show purple or green colors when playing Dolby Vision content.

Unsupported Hardware: Your TV or hardware media player device (Roku, AppleTV, etc) doesn't support Dolby Vision or your hardware media player device doesn't support all the Dolby Vision Profiles. As a result, the device might struggle to produce accurate colors, leading to a purple or green tint.
Incorrect Display Settings: Dolby Vision content often requires specific settings to be enabled on your TV or display device in order to deliver the intended visual experience. If these settings are not configured properly, it can result in the device showing distorted colors (including purple or green hues).
HDMI Compatibility Issues: Sometimes, HDMI cables or ports may not be fully compatible with Dolby Vision. If the media player device is not recognizing the Dolby Vision signal properly, it may fail to process the content correctly, resulting in abnormal color rendering.

To resolve the purple or green color issues when playing Dolby Vision content, you can try the following troubleshooting steps:

Ensure your TV or hardware media player device is Dolby Vision compatible and up-to-date with the latest firmware.
Verify that your TV or display device is set up correctly and has the necessary Dolby Vision settings enabled.
Check the HDMI cables and ensure they are capable of transmitting Dolby Vision signals.

Dolby Vision Profiles - [Click to show/hide]

Dolby Vision Profiles

Profile 5 ⁽¹⁾ - This is what comes with WEB-DL Dolby Vision releases without HDR10 fallback.
(Incompatible devices will playback with blown out pinks and greens)
Profile 7 ⁽²⁾ - This is what comes with UHD Bluray Remuxes and UHD BluRay releases.
These files will play on an Nvidia Shield Pro (2019), but on most other players will revert to the HDR10 fallback.
Profile 8 ⁽³⁾ - This is what comes with (Hybrid) WEB-DL (HULU), Hybrid UHD Remux, and UHD BluRay releases (all of which have HDR10 fallback).
This works with several mainstream media players.

Plex for Apple TV and Plex with Infuse is only capable of playing Dolby Vision profiles 5 and 8 correctly if CMv2.9 is being used.
This is something that cannot be determined beforehand.
So whether you are using an Apple TV, with or without Infuse, it will always be hit or miss whether the content is compatible.
Additionally, it is uncertain whether the Dolby Vision layer will play, fall back to HDR10, or encounter a black screen.

^{(1) PLEX for AppleTV and Plex with Infuse will only play profile 5 correctly if CMv2.9 is used}
^{(2) Neither Infuse nor PLEX for AppleTV will deliver real Dolby Vision with Profile 7.}
^{(3) On PLEX for AppleTV it won't deliver real Dolby Vision with Profile 8, and will only play the HDR10 fallback if CM2.9 is used, otherwise you will end up with a black screen
“although your TV will incorrectly say that it is playing DV”.
With infuse it will convert it on the fly to Profile 5, and deliver real Dolby Vision if CMv2.9 is used, otherwise you will end up with a black screen
“Make sure you set the Extended Dolby Vision settings to Limited (prefer accuracy), Convert P8 to P5 (when possible), and play other P8 as HDR (output will switch to either DoVi or HDR depending on the video)”}

Dolby Vision Versions - CMv2.9 and CMv4.0 - [Click to show/hide]

It is too technical to explain in detail, so I'll keep it short with tested facts:
PLEX for AppleTV and Plex with Infuse only support CMv2.9.

There are two versions of Dolby Vision, namely CMv2.9 and CMv4.0. CMv4.0 uses an improved algorithm and a superior tone curve that allows for better mapping and more controls during the Dolby Vision trim pass process.

More info about the different Dolby Vision Versions: Dolby Vision Versions - CMv2.9 vs. CMv4.0

Which HDR Format should I choose? - [Click to show/hide]

Custom Format	Score	Trash ID
DV HDR10+	1500	2b239ed870daba8126a53bd5dc8dc1c8
DV HDR10	1500	7878c33f1963fefb3d6c8657d46c2f0a
DV	1500	6d0d8de7b57e35518ac0308b0ddf404e
DV HLG	1500	1f733af03141f068a540eec352589a89
DV SDR	1500	27954b0a80aab882522a88a4d9eae1cd
HDR10+	600	a3d82cbef5039f8d295478d28a887159
HDR10	500	3497799d29a085e2ac2df9d468413c94
HDR	500	3e2c4e748b64a1a1118e0ea3f4cf6875
HDR (undefined)	500	bb019e1cd00f304f80971c965de064dc
PQ	500	2a7e3be05d3861d6df7171ec74cad727
HLG	500	17e889ce13117940092308f48b48b45b

Add Custom Format DV (WEBDL) with a score of -10000 - [Click to show/hide]

Why would I add this Custom Format?

Not all devices in your chain support Dolby Vision.
You share your media library with other family members that don't have Dolby Vision compatible devices.
According the flowchart I should add this Custom Format

Custom Format	Score	Trash ID
DV (WEBDL)	-10000	9b27ab6498ec0f31a3353992e19434ca

Add Custom Format HDR10+ Boost with a score of 901- [Click to show/hide]

Why would I add this Custom Format?

You have a (Samsung) TV that supports HDR10+.
According the flowchart I should add this Custom Format

If you use this Custom Format then 99% of the time you also need to add the following Custom Format DV (WEBDL) with a score of -10000

Custom Format	Score	Trash ID
HDR10+ Boost	901	0dad0a507451acddd754fe6dc3a7f5e7

FAQ & INFO

Why only WEB-DL

Why do you only have a release profile for WEB-DL - [Click to show/hide]

I only do WEB-DL, myself, for TV shows. In my opinion, WEB-DL is the sweet spot between quality and size (you often don't see big differences anyway for TV shows) except for shows like GOT, Vikings, etc.

Why prefer P2P groups

Why do you prefer P2P groups over scene groups - [Click to show/hide]

Scene groups are always in a rush to bring releases out as fast as possible.

I noticed, often, that I got Repacks/Propers from them, or of different groups and quality. P2P release groups are a bit smarter, and sort of work together, by not doing the same releases. Also, I noticed that with some scene releases the 5.1 audio was stripped out or converted to AAC audio.

In my opinion, the P2P releases are better quality. However, there is one scene group that does bring out quality releases -deflate/-inflate.

Why so many repacks/propers

Why do I see so many repacks/propers of Amazon WEB-DLs lately - [Click to show/hide]

A large portion of Amazon WEB-DLs in the last weeks have only had 192Kbps DD+5.1 (because that's all Amazon made available initially). The proper 640Kbps DD+5.1 audio might appear a few hours, or a few months, later. The lower quality release will be REPACKED when the higher quality audio is available.

Proper and Repacks

Proper and Repacks - [Click to show/hide]

I also suggest that you change the Propers and Repacks settings in Radarr

Media Management => File Management to Do Not Prefer and use the Repack/Proper Custom Format.

This way you make sure the Custom Format preferences will be used instead.

Custom Formats to avoid certain releases

How to use a Custom Format to avoid certain releases? - [Click to show/hide]

For Custom Formats you really want to avoid, set it to something really low like -10000 and not something like -10. When you add your preferred Custom Format and set it to something like +10, it's possible that, for example, the BR-DISK will be downloaded - (-10)+(+10)=0 - if your Minimum Custom Format Score is set at 0.

Releases you should avoid

This is a must-have for every Quality Profile you use in my opinion. All these Custom Formats make sure you don't get Low Quality Releases.

Unwanted - [Click to show/hide]

Custom Format	Score	Trash ID
BR-DISK	-10000	85c61753df5da1fb2aab6f2a47426b09
LQ	-10000	9c11cd3f07101cdba90a2d81cf0e56b4
LQ (Release Title)	-10000	e2315f990da2e2cbfc9fa5b7a6fcfe48
x265 (HD)	-10000	47435ece6b99a0b477caf360e79ba0bb
Extras	-10000	fbcb31d8dabd2a319072b84fc0b7249c

Breakdown and Why

BR-DISK : This is a custom format to help Sonarr recognize & ignore BR-DISK (ISO's and Blu-ray folder structure) in addition to the standard BR-DISK quality.
LQ: A collection of known Low Quality groups that are often banned from the the top trackers because the lack of quality or other reasons.
LQ (Release Title): A collection of terms seen in the titles of Low Quality releases that are not captured by using a release group name.
x265 (HD): This blocks 720/1080p (HD) releases that are encoded in x265. - More info HERE.

Don't use this together with x265 (no HDR/DV), Only ever include one of them
Extras: This blocks/ignores extras

Custom Formats with a score of 0

What do Custom Formats with a score of 0 do? - [Click to show/hide]

All Custom Formats with a score of 0 are purely informational and don't do anything.

Minimum Custom Format Score

Minimum Custom Format Score - [Click to show/hide]

Some people suggest not to use negative scores for your Custom Formats and set this option to a higher score than 0.

The reason why I don't prefer/use this is because you could limit yourself when some new groups or whatever will be released.

Also, it makes it much more clear what you prefer and what you want to avoid.

Audio Channels

Audio Channels - [Click to show/hide]

Elsewhere in the guide, you will find a separate group of custom formats called Audio Channels. These will match the number of audio channels in a release, for example, 2.0 (stereo) or 5.1/7.1 (surround sound). Personally, I wouldn't add the audio channels Custom Formats as you could limit yourself in the amount of releases you're able to get. Only use them if you have a specific need for them.

Using this with any kind of Remux Quality Profile is useless, in my opinion, being that 99% of all Remuxes are multi-audio anyway. You can get better scores just by using the Audio Advanced Custom Formats.

Avoid using the x264/x265 Custom Format

Avoid using the x264/x265 Custom Format - [Click to show/hide]

Avoid using the x264/x265 Custom Format with a score if possible, it's smarter to use the x265 (HD) Custom Format.

Something like 95% of video files are x264 and have much better direct play support. If you have more than a of couple users, you will notice much more transcoding.

Use x265 only for 4k releases and the x265 (HD) makes sure you still get the x265 releases.

Why am I getting purple or green colors

Why am I getting purple or green colors? - [Click to show/hide]

Why am I getting purple or green colors?

There are several possible reasons why your TV would show purple or green colors when playing Dolby Vision content.

Unsupported Hardware: Your TV or hardware media player device (Roku, AppleTV, etc) doesn't support Dolby Vision or your hardware media player device doesn't support all the Dolby Vision Profiles. As a result, the device might struggle to produce accurate colors, leading to a purple or green tint.
Incorrect Display Settings: Dolby Vision content often requires specific settings to be enabled on your TV or display device in order to deliver the intended visual experience. If these settings are not configured properly, it can result in the device showing distorted colors (including purple or green hues).
HDMI Compatibility Issues: Sometimes, HDMI cables or ports may not be fully compatible with Dolby Vision. If the media player device is not recognizing the Dolby Vision signal properly, it may fail to process the content correctly, resulting in abnormal color rendering.

To resolve the purple or green color issues when playing Dolby Vision content, you can try the following troubleshooting steps:

Ensure your TV or hardware media player device is Dolby Vision compatible and up-to-date with the latest firmware.
Verify that your TV or display device is set up correctly and has the necessary Dolby Vision settings enabled.
Check the HDMI cables and ensure they are capable of transmitting Dolby Vision signals.

Dolby Vision Profiles

Dolby Vision Profiles - [Click to show/hide]

Dolby Vision Profiles

Profile 5 ⁽¹⁾ - This is what comes with WEB-DL Dolby Vision releases without HDR10 fallback.
(Incompatible devices will playback with blown out pinks and greens)
Profile 7 ⁽²⁾ - This is what comes with UHD Bluray Remuxes and UHD BluRay releases.
These files will play on an Nvidia Shield Pro (2019), but on most other players will revert to the HDR10 fallback.
Profile 8 ⁽³⁾ - This is what comes with (Hybrid) WEB-DL (HULU), Hybrid UHD Remux, and UHD BluRay releases (all of which have HDR10 fallback).
This works with several mainstream media players.

Plex for Apple TV and Plex with Infuse is only capable of playing Dolby Vision profiles 5 and 8 correctly if CMv2.9 is being used.
This is something that cannot be determined beforehand.
So whether you are using an Apple TV, with or without Infuse, it will always be hit or miss whether the content is compatible.
Additionally, it is uncertain whether the Dolby Vision layer will play, fall back to HDR10, or encounter a black screen.

^{(1) PLEX for AppleTV and Plex with Infuse will only play profile 5 correctly if CMv2.9 is used}
^{(2) Neither Infuse nor PLEX for AppleTV will deliver real Dolby Vision with Profile 7.}
^{(3) On PLEX for AppleTV it won't deliver real Dolby Vision with Profile 8, and will only play the HDR10 fallback if CM2.9 is used, otherwise you will end up with a black screen
“although your TV will incorrectly say that it is playing DV”.
With infuse it will convert it on the fly to Profile 5, and deliver real Dolby Vision if CMv2.9 is used, otherwise you will end up with a black screen
“Make sure you set the Extended Dolby Vision settings to Limited (prefer accuracy), Convert P8 to P5 (when possible), and play other P8 as HDR (output will switch to either DoVi or HDR depending on the video)”}

Dolby Vision Versions - CMv2.9 and CMv4.0 - [Click to show/hide]

It is too technical to explain in detail, so I'll keep it short with tested facts:
PLEX for AppleTV and Plex with Infuse only support CMv2.9.

There are two versions of Dolby Vision, namely CMv2.9 and CMv4.0. CMv4.0 uses an improved algorithm and a superior tone curve that allows for better mapping and more controls during the Dolby Vision trim pass process.

More info about the different Dolby Vision Versions: Dolby Vision Versions - CMv2.9 vs. CMv4.0

Thanks

Special thanks to everyone who helped with the testing and creation of these Custom Formats.

Questions or Suggestions?

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